Brit Blaise, Cassie Ryan, Isabella Clayton, Judi Thoman, Kayce Lassiter, Kayla Janz, Lynne Logan, Tia Dani, Tina Gerow, Samantha Storm...
I’m really excited! Ceremony of Seduction is #6 on the Barnes & Noble Bestseller’s List for Erotic Romance! Woo Hoo!
Quick - check it out before it moves! http://btobsearch.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?SRT=S&z=y&btob=Y&SZE=10&WRD=erotic+romance&Go%21.x=19&Go%21.y=10
I can’t seem to get the picture in here so you’re going to have to click quick and hope it doesn’t move unless it’s up! 
Cassie/Tina
Woo Hoo! I just got back from my local Borders store and not only do they have seven copies of Ceremony of Seduction, but it’s displayed face out. Snoopy Dance!!!! So run, don’t walk, to your local store and pick one up! Also, I’ve had several readers ask me if they mail me their book, will I sign it. Definitely!! Just ensure you enclose a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope and I’ll be happy to sign and send it back to you. (Please make sure you have the right postage!) My addy is on my website!
I’ll be sending out my monthly newsletter later in the week (it comes out under the Tina Gerow name, but it has my Cassie Ryan news too!) To celebrate my first release as Cassie Ryan, I will be holding a contest where I will give away a $25 gift certificate to Borders or Barnes & Noble (winner’s choice.) Everyone who is subscribed to my monthly newsletter is eligible. If you’d like to subscribe, head on out to my Cassie Ryan MySpace page and you can subscribe there. I will have my kidlet draw the winner at the end of August before I leave for Heather Graham’s Writer’s for New Orleans Conference.
As most of you know, my first book as Cassie Ryan is getting ready to release. And the Kensington Aprhodisia line usually has four books releasing a month. So, when I saw on the loops yesterday that there were beginning to be Ceremony of Seduction sightings, as well as the other three books which are July 31st releases with mine, I wanted to go see for myself. Before I could sign off my computer last night, an email popped in from a reader telling me how much they enjoyed Ceremony of Seduction, and asking when the next one would be out.
Okay - great news that people are already liking it. And fan mail is always better than “YOU SUCK” mail :) So, today, I headed down to my local book store. The other three books set to release with mine are on the shelf and available to buy, but mine was nowhere to be found. When I asked at the desk they said it was still listed as not yet released. Hmmm, okay. I asked if it had a hard laydown date and I got a deer in the headlights look.
For those of you not familiar with a laydown date, let me give you a quick tutorial, at least as far as I understand it. A laydown date is the date the book can hit the shelves. Usually bookstores don’t follow them as law unless the publisher ensures the date is followed. And for an author’s first book - as you might have guessed, most publishers don’t push too much to ensure it is followed. So, why the big deal with laydown dates? Tracking for lists (you know, NYT Bestsellers, USA Today and etc) starts at the laydown date, so any sales before that date don’t count toward making the lists. Now, you might not think a new author (or one with a new pen name) is in any danger of this happening - but you never know! And it helps to understand how these things work.
Anyway, back to our story. From the first bookstore, I headed over to the second close-by store. Nope - none of my books there either and once again, when I mentioned laydown date I got the deer in the headlights look. Sigh… All they could tell me was that maybe it will release closer to the July 31st date.
So, what have I learned? Well - my book is out there somewhere, and people are reading it and liking it :) Which is definitely good news! But if you want to help me get a fun, hot, irreverent book onto the lists - mark your calendar for July 31st and go grab a copy of Ceremony of Seduction then
How’s that for shameless self promotion? LOL!
Since the impending release of Ceremony of Seduction, is just a few weeks away, the topic of writing HOT is fresh in my mind. As I stated in my monthly newsletter (which you can subscribe to by just popping me an email, or signing up on my Tina Gerow MySpace page (www.myspace.com/tinagerow), many people have been asking me about the reasons I took a different pen name for my Kensington Aphrodisia books. Well, first, my agent suggested it. Both Tina & Cassie write paranormal stories that have snarky humor, strong heroines who don’t wait around for the hero to save them, and fun quirky characters. However, where the Tina Gerow books are steamy and sensual, the Cassie Ryan books are singe your panties HOT. So, it was more for author branding.
The example I usually give for this is, let’s say you pick up a can of Dr. Pepper and take a big drink…but when the liquid hits your tongue - it’s Sprite. You are jarred and shocked - it’s not what you expected. You may or may not like Sprite, but at that moment, you were expecting Dr. Pepper. Readers going from a Tina book to a Cassie book would experience something similar. Some will be pleasantly surprised and love it, and some won’t. Nature of the beast, so to speak.
Another common question I get is, “Aren’t you embarrassed about writing THAT type of book?” In a word - No. I’m not embarrassed about anything I’ve ever written - even that play I wrote in the sixth grade that our drama class actually performed for the school - “The Embarrassing Moments of Santa Clause” LOL. Totally cheesy, yes, but hey - I had my work performed at a very young age - talk about incentive to keep writing!! The next most common question is, “Aren’t you worried about your son finding out what you write?” Again - no. My son knows I write paranormal romance as Tina Gerow, and he’s not allowed to read those books until he’s at least sixteen or eighteen. My son also knows I write erotic paranormal romance as Cassie Ryan, and that he’s not allowed to read those books until he moves out…LOL. Not because I’m ashamed of my books, but it would be a very EWWW mother/son moment to walk by him reading my book in the living room - and we BOTH know what’s in there…LOL! My son tells his friends and pretty much everyone he knows that his mom writes “those kissing books,” but he’s very proud of me that I’m a published author. In fact, if we are at the store in the romance aisle, he often points out my books to people who are browsing, telling them it’s a great paranormal book with lots of romance. :) They usually ask him if he’s read it and he tells them he’s not allowed until he’s older, but that his mom wrote it so he knows it’s good. Ahhh, the PR! :) But the little charmer has actually sold some books for me that way.
Now, the fun and most popular question… “Do you write porn?” LOL! Well, I guess that depends on your definition of porn. I’m sure you could sing the “Bow, chicka, bow wow” music in the background while you’re reading if you want that “porn” type feel, but, it doesn’t follow my definition of porn. I do have author friends that jokingly call their work porn, smut etc, and that doesn’t really bother me either. My usual response to people is, “Do you like porn?” If they say no, then I say, “Well, then you’ll like my book. Unlike porn, it has a romance and explores the relationship between the hero and the heroine as well as having some steamy sex scenes. Not to mention, it’s got a suspenseful/paranormal/creepy/fun/kick ass (fill in the blank) plot!” If they say they do like porn, then I hand them the book and tell them to enjoy. Why? Everyone’s definitions are different.
I’ve had people read my books not knowing they were romance. Men have read and enjoyed my Maiden series thinking they were sci fi or just paranormal action adventure with some sex in it. (It’s easy for men to ignore that whole “icky” romance part when there’s sex and a suspenseful plot, not to mention some good battle scenes…lol) While women have read the same books and told me what a touching romance it was, and that they really felt the emotional connection between the characters during the sex scenes. Same exact book - two different definitions of what the book is. Do I really care which definition is used? Uh, no. Did they buy the book? Did they read the book? Did they enjoy the book? Yes for all three? Then, Woo Hoo, I’m a happy camper.
Let’s face it - sex is a hot topic in our society. Most people aren’t comfortable with their own sexuality, let alone anyone else’s. We are a society of people who love sex, but pretend we don’t. It’s both “cool” and “not cool” to be comfortable with your sexuality in this country, so no wonder people are so conflicted.
I don’t write my books - either as Cassie or Tina to thumb my nose at propriety or to make a statement about sexual mores. It may happen out of the plot naturally, but I didn’t sit down to make a political commentary. Why do I write? I LOVE to write! Why do I write sensual as Tina Gerow? When I began writing, that was my natural heat level to write at. It came naturally, and I enjoyed it. Why do I also write HOT as Cassie Ryan? In between Tina books, I was looking to write something different - even writers need variety. I kept critiquing these great steamy Cave Creek Cowboy books for Brit Blaise and I loved them! So, I tried my hand at writing erotic romance, and I love writing those too. Both Tina and Cassie are just different parts of me, just as the same woman can be a savvy professional career woman, but when she’s on vacation, she can be that wild sex-kitten at the bar in Maui. And do you know what else? There are probably lots more people inside me :) Just different faces and different parts of me.
So, if you like paranormal romance that’s kick ass, snarky, with fun quirky characters and sensual steamy sex scenes - pick up a Tina Gerow book. And if you like all of that, but with sex scenes that are highly erotic, give you a play by play, and put you IN the scene and describe what’s happening so well that you’ll be ready to attack your significant other when they come through the door tonight, or you’re ready to buy stock in Duracell, OR, you and the significant other can read the book together for a romantic date night! - then pick up a Cassie Ryan book. And if both of those scenarios appeal to you - then pick up both and enjoy!
And if neither of these appeal to you? Then I’d suggest not buying my books. Plain and simple. There are plenty of terrific authors out there - for all the myriad tastes of our readers. Not everyone ‘gets’ my work, and I don’t expect them to. But those who do ‘get’ me, those are the people who make the writing worthwhile for me. Keep searching until you find one (or more) authors you love. But remember, just because you may not like something doesn’t mean others don’t LOVE it! :) To each their own - Amen!
Tina/Cassie
My first book writing as Cassie Ryan comes out on July 31st and I’m excited to say the great reviews are rolling in :) So, I thought I would share!
This from Romantic Times Magazine reviews - which does NOT give away 4’s lightly:
4 Stars - “This is an incredibly creative read with likable characters. Alyssa is not perfect which will appeal to readers. Stone is great hero material and a man who makes Alyssa feel beautiful inside and out with his attention. If you’re looking for a sexy escape, you’ll find it here. Ryan has crafted a sensual story that leaves nothing to the imagination. Lovemaking is described in plain terms with anal sex elements included.” - Kristi Ahlers
This from Coffee Time Romance:
5 cups - Ceremony of Seduction is the perfect erotic read with just the right touch of paranormal. Ms. Ryan’s world-building is well-defined
